Hagen, Lynn - Montana's Vamp [Brac Pack 16] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (8 page)

“Played teatime,” Melonee added cheerfully. Gabby blushed. He was busted now. Everyone was going to make fun of him. What grown man plays teatime with a little girl? He couldn’t help it. She was adorable as she set the stuffed animals up and poured her imaginary tea. Who could resist something like that?

He could tell Maverick and Montana were biting back grins. He shot daggers at his mate but continued. “Anyway, I wasn’t paying attention to the time, fell asleep on the carpet with Melonee, and next thing I knew the sun was burning my skin. Melonee pushed me under the bed and pulled the blanket down to cover the underside. She’s my hero.” Gabby gave Melonee thumbs up. “So then I was stuck under there for like hours until sleeping beasty here found me, and about time I might add. Do you know how many dust bunnies live under there? Too many, that’s how many. Anyway, Montana rolled me up like a burrito and brought me up here, and then Melonee got all sparkly and then appeared.”

Maverick blinked. “I like you.” He smiled, and Gabby blushed. At least he knew he had one friend here, besides Melonee.

The large Alpha knelt down to Melonee, a reassuring smile on his face. “Are we taking magic carpet rides now, princess?”

Melonee’s head shook back and forth as her arms spread out at her sides. “I don’t know how I did it, honest.”

Maverick ran his hand over her wayward brown tendrils. “I believe you. Can you tell me what you think happened?”

“I can,” a dark voice said from behind all of them.

* * * *

Maverick swung around, blocking Melonee from whomever was clever enough to get past his Sentries and the security cameras. He stilled when he saw the most beautiful man he’d ever seen before. On second thought, second most beautiful. No one outranked Cecil.

But the man was elegant in form. He was slender and tall. His hair a golden color, the top half pulled back in a leather thong. Maverick could tell he was a man, barely. His body seemed delicate, dainty.

“Who the hell are you?” Maverick snarled then looked down. “Sorry, Melonee.”

She nodded and then grabbed Maverick’s hand. He looked back up at the intruder.

“I am Carter. Sentinel to the Wood Elven tribe, and that is not Melonee. She is Avantiana.” The stranger bowed to Melonee. “We have been searching for you for a very long time, young one.”

Maverick pulled Melonee further behind him, shielding her from this fairy looking guy. “Well, keep searching.
Melonee
isn’t going anywhere. And what the hell kind of name is Carter for an elf?” Maverick smirked.

“Elven and I am not three feet tall,” the man corrected snidely. “Her parents were murdered, and she was taken. I will return her to her rightful home.”

“The hell you will. Take one step near her and I’ll—” Maverick covered Melonee’s ears. “Cut your balls off.” He whispered the last part then released her head.

Carter threw his hands up in the air, giving a snort as he glared at Maverick. “Oh hell, enough with the diplomatic crap, how the hell did you find her?”

Maverick tilted his head sideways. Did his mate slip something into his Chai tea this morning? Cecil had to have. This was just too damn Twilight Zone-ish. “Why should I tell you?”

“Let me guess, smarty pants.” Carter glanced down at Melonee and smiled. “Vampires have been attacking more and more. Her blood is sweet to the nostrils? She just shimmered for the first time, alerting every elven creature of her whereabouts. Hmm? Am I close?” He glanced back up at Maverick, an irritating smugness crossing his face.

Maverick growled. There was no way in hell anyone was taking his princess from him. Not even an elf. “You remind me of someone I’d love to choke to death. You didn’t hit the freezer first before you popped in, did you?”

Carter flipped Maverick off. Maverick lunged, and Carter shimmered out and reappeared right next to Melonee. He quirked a brow. “I was only being nice, shifter. If I really wanted to take Avantiana, it would be this simple.” Carter shimmered out, Melonee with him.

“No!” Maverick shouted. His heart seized in his chest as his windpipe closed up around his throat. It became impossible to breathe. Not his Melonee.
No.

“Relax.” Carter chuckled from behind them. “I’m not that big of a jerk. You obviously care for her.”

Maverick’s heart began to beat again. He could feel his anger hitting the roof. If he could manage to get his hands on this fucking fairy, he was going to choke him within an inch of his life. “Do that again and I’ll…Cover her ears.”

Carter covered Melonee’s ears.

“Kick your ass all the way back to the elf factory. Grab me some damn cookies before you shimmer your ass back here, too.”

Carter threw his head back and gave a hearty laugh. “I like you.”

“Taken already, now give me back my princess.” Maverick held his hand out, and Melonee ran to him. Carter had let her go. Was this some sort of trick? Was he allowing Maverick a false sense of security? He didn’t like this one bit. He and Cecil had pretty much adopted her. She belonged to them, damn it.

“We need to talk.” Carter rubbed his chin as he stared down at Melonee then looked up at Maverick. “I think we can come to some sort of compromise.”

Maverick crossed his arms over his chest, not liking this one bit indeed. “I highly doubt it. I don’t want her summers only.”

Carter nodded with a jerk of his head. “Not joint custody. Shifters really are stupid.” He rolled his eyes as if the Alpha was really that dumb.

“My office,” he snapped at Carter then turned to Melonee. “Can you take us there, princess?” Maverick smiled down as his little lady.

Melonee shrugged, scrunched her eyes closed, and the two began to shimmer out.

“Later.” Carter waved at Montana and Gabby.

* * * *

Gabby pinched his arm. “Ouch.”

Montana shook his head.”What the hell just happened here?” He looked down at his pumpkin and then back up to where all three had just disappeared. This was some freaky shit.

For once, Gabby was at a loss for words. He just sat there with his mouth hanging open, rubbing the area he had just pinched.

Montana turned when Ludo knocked on their open door. “Hey, I thought Maverick was in here.”

Montana nodded and pointed to the empty space. “He was, and then he went—”

“Poof.” Gabby splayed his fingers out and up for emphasis. “Sparkled right out of here.”

Ludo bent his head as he studied Gabby, a brow slowly climbing. “Your blood sugar high?”

Montana crossed the room as he scratched his bald head. He answered Ludo as he sat on the side of the bed and pulled Gabby into his arms. “You’ll see.”

Now Ludo was staring strangely at both of them. “Can I speak with you a moment?”

Montana kissed Gabby on his head, looked over his shoulder to make sure the windows were blacked out, and then closed the door behind him. He stepped into the hallway. “What’s up?”

“Maribel. She’s escaped the catacombs. I don’t know how. Maverick had silver in those shackles.” Ludo growled.

“Let’s go see Maverick.” Montana popped his head around his bedroom door.

“I’m going downstairs. You need anything, pumpkin?”

“No, thank you anyway.” Gabby had lain down and curled up on their bed. He pulled the sheet over him and closed his eyes.

Montana looked at his mate a moment longer. He was being a little too quiet. The shock of what just happened was understandable, but Gabby seemed a little…off. “I’ll be right back.”

He closed the door, and then the two warriors made their way downstairs. “Hey, Johnny, can you go keep Gabby company?”

“Sure.” Johnny ran up the stairs.

“What the hell do you mean, use our forest?” Maverick was snarling at Carter when Ludo and Montana entered the office.

He looked around the office, but Melonee was nowhere in sight. Maverick must have asked the other warriors to guard her. The Alpha wouldn’t take chances with her. After the magic trick upstairs, he wasn’t sure even the Sentries could help.

“Just what I said.” Carter crossed his long, elegant arms over his chest. For an ethereal creature, he sure didn’t act like it. Weren’t elves supposed to be meek and soft spoken? That’s how they were in the movies.

“No fucking way. I’m not opening my home to a bunch of creatures who think they are above us.” Maverick threw his booted feet up onto his desk, crossed his ankles, and laid his hands on his abdomen. “I don’t care about a war between you and the Shadow Elves. Your business. Not mine. What the hell is a Shadow Elven anyway?”

Montana took a seat. He wanted to know this just as well.

“They live in a watery marshland. But lately, for some reason, they have been infiltrating out forests. They’ve killed off half our population. We need a refuge, and you have plenty of space,” Carter bit out as he pointed accusingly at the Alpha. “Are you that coldhearted that you would let an entire race be wiped out?”

Maverick laughed darkly, making Montana think twice about pissing the guy off. “And bring your drama here? Hell yeah.”

Montana thought
he
was hard-nosed. Hell, Maverick had him beat hands down. “Might I make a suggestion?” He normally didn’t interfere with other people’s business, but since meeting Gabby, he now had a new perspective on anyone in dire need of protection.

Maverick turned his head in Montana’s direction, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. “By all means.”

“There is the land between Brac territory and the Eastern pack.” It was a reasonable amount of space. It all depended on how many elven creatures there were though.

“See, he knows how to compromise.” Carter pointed at Montana as he looked hopelessly at Maverick. “Why can’t you do the same?”

“Don’t put me in this shit. It was only a suggestion.” Montana put his hands up in a surrender gesture. He liked living here. Maverick wasn’t going to kick him out thinking he sided with the fudge cookie maker.

Maverick pulled his bottom lip in, chewing on it as he stared at Carter. Montana was glad he was on the Alpha’s side. He knew for a fact Maverick wasn’t anyone to play with. The shifter was the largest Timber wolf born. He may be badass, but he wasn’t suicidal. He and his mate needed a place to live.

“So basically your telling me that I can keep my princess if I give you land? That’s low.” Maverick growled. “I don’t think using her in a trade bargain is gaining any favor with me.”

Carter blew out a breath and dropped in the leather chair across from Maverick’s desk. “You would have kept her anyway. What does she have to go back to? A war? It’s not safe there for her. She has no living relatives. So no, that’s not what I’m saying.”

Maverick pulled on his soul patch. “Five hundred acres, not an acre more.”

“Deal.”

Montana had a feeling he just watched the Devil and the Demon from the primal source shake hands. He wasn’t sure which one was which yet.

* * * *

Gabby stared at the cards he had in his hands. He wasn’t sure what he was doing. Johnny—he found out the blond man’s name—along with Keata and Nero, tried to explain the rules, but he was confused as hell.

His hand slid across the carpet, snagging a pretzel, and quickly shoved it into his mouth.

“Hey, you’re supposed to bet with those, not eat them.” Johnny wiggled a finger at him, reached into the bag, and tossed a few more on Gabby’s pile.

“I’m hungry,” Gabby whined. With everything that had been going on, he hadn’t had a chance to eat. He felt sweaty, and his hands were shaking slightly.